Omnichannel approach to application sharing across different devices

ABSTRACT

A group of remote devices executing an omnichannel application are coordinated from a network node. An omnichannel mediator coordinates formation of at least two of said remote devices into an omnichannel cloudlet. A component manager controls which of a plurality of components of said omnichannel application should optimally be placed on which individual devices of said omnichannel cloudlet and how data should flow to individual devices of said omnichannel cloudlet. A replication optimizer optimally coordinates data replication for the group of remote device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/181,770 filed Feb. 17, 2014, entitled “OMNICHANNEL APPROACH TOAPPLICATION SHARING ACROSS DIFFERENT DEVICES.” The complete disclosureof the aforementioned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/181,770 isexpressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for allpurposes.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT RIGHTS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINTINVENTOR

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the electrical, electronic and computerarts, and, more particularly, to pervasive software, hand-held devices,device discovery, wireless communications, and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

People commonly own and use multiple devices to perform a single taskthroughout the day. Application (“app”) developers create versions ofapps that can be projected to multiple device endpoints so the user canaccess a given app regardless of what device he or she is using. Runninga mobile application on multiple devices is now the rule and not theexception. Users commonly have multiple devices that may come from avariety of vendors, and routinely use a number of devices to performtasks throughout the day.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Principles of the invention provide techniques for an omnichannelapproach to application sharing across different devices. In one aspect,an exemplary system for coordinating, from a network node, a group ofremote devices executing an omnichannel application, includes anomnichannel mediator that coordinates formation of at least two of saidremote devices into an omnichannel cloudlet; a component manager thatcontrols which of a plurality of components of said omnichannelapplication should optimally be placed on which individual devices ofsaid omnichannel cloudlet and how data should flow to individual devicesof said omnichannel cloudlet; and a replication optimizer that optimallycoordinates data replication for the group of remote device.

In another aspect, an exemplary method includes the step of obtaining,at a replication optimizer running on at least one hardware processor ina network node, a request from a first remote device to join a group ofremote devices executing an omnichannel application. Said requestincludes a common key identifying said group of remote devices executingsaid omnichannel application. Additional steps include adding said firstremote device to said group of remote devices executing said omnichannelapplication; updating topology of said group of remote devices executingsaid omnichannel application to obtain an updated group topology; andestablishing a data replication plan for said group of remote devicesexecuting said omnichannel application, based on said updated grouptopology. A still further step includes obtaining, at said replicationoptimizer running on at least one hardware processor in a network node,an indication from one device of said group of remote devices executingsaid omnichannel application, that a data update has occurred for saidomnichannel application on said one device of said group of remotedevices executing said omnichannel application. An even further stepincludes sending, from said replication optimizer running on at leastone hardware processor in a network node, to said group of remotedevices executing said omnichannel application, at least one of:

-   -   (i) said data replication plan, and    -   (ii) instructions in accordance with said data replication plan,        to specify how said data update for said omnichannel application        on said one device of said group of remote devices executing        said omnichannel application is to be propagated to remaining        devices of said group of remote devices executing said        omnichannel application.

In still another aspect, another exemplary method includes the step ofloading, at a component manager running on at least one hardwareprocessor in a network node, a specification for an omnichannelapplication to execute on a group of remote devices. Said omnichannelapplication has a plurality of components including at least one viewcomponent and at least one headless component. Additional steps includebuilding, with said component manager running on said at least onehardware processor in said network node, a model describing how saidgroup of remote devices is configured; creating, with said componentmanager running on said at least one hardware processor in said networknode, a flow plan, based on said specification and said model,describing which of said plurality of components should be executed onwhich individual devices of said group of remote devices and how datashould flow to individual devices of said group of remote devices; andsending said flow plan from said component manager running on said atleast one hardware processor in said network node, to said group ofremote devices, said flow plan.

In a further aspect, an exemplary method includes the steps ofauthenticating, at an omnichannel mediator running on at least onehardware processor in a network node, a remote device that wishes toparticipate in an omnichannel cloudlet to execute an application; and,responsive to said authentication, sending, from said omnichannelmediator running on said at least one hardware processor in said networknode, to said remote device that wishes to participate in saidomnichannel cloudlet to execute said application, instructions enablingsaid remote device that wishes to participate in said omnichannelcloudlet to execute said application to enter said omnichannel cloudletwith at least one other remote device. Further steps include obtaining,at said omnichannel mediator running on said at least one hardwareprocessor in said network node, topology and operating state informationregarding said remote devices in said omnichannel cloudlet; based onsaid topology and operating state information regarding said remotedevices in said omnichannel cloudlet, and based also on applicationcomponent configuration policies, preparing, with said omnichannelmediator running on said at least one hardware processor in said networknode, link instructions specifying how said remote device is to link tosaid at least one other remote device within said omnichannel cloudlet;and sending, from said omnichannel mediator running on said at least onehardware processor in said network node, to said remote device thatwishes to participate in said omnichannel cloudlet to execute saidapplication, said link instructions.

As used herein, “facilitating” an action includes performing the action,making the action easier, helping to carry the action out, or causingthe action to be performed. Thus, by way of example and not limitation,instructions executing on one processor might facilitate an actioncarried out by instructions executing on a remote processor, by sendingappropriate data or commands to cause or aid the action to be performed.For the avoidance of doubt, where an actor facilitates an action byother than performing the action, the action is nevertheless performedby some entity or combination of entities.

One or more embodiments of the invention or elements thereof can beimplemented in the form of a computer program product including acomputer readable storage medium with computer usable program code forperforming the method steps indicated. Furthermore, one or moreembodiments of the invention or elements thereof can be implemented inthe form of a system (or apparatus) including a memory, and at least oneprocessor that is coupled to the memory and operative to performexemplary method steps. Yet further, in another aspect, one or moreembodiments of the invention or elements thereof can be implemented inthe form of means for carrying out one or more of the method stepsdescribed herein; the means can include (i) hardware module(s), (ii)software module(s) stored in a computer readable storage medium (ormultiple such media) and implemented on a hardware processor, or (iii) acombination of (i) and (ii); any of (i)-(iii) implement the specifictechniques set forth herein.

Techniques of the present invention can provide substantial beneficialtechnical effects. For example, one or more embodiments may provide oneor more of the following advantages:

-   -   Ability to use complementary resources on multi-device        applications in an efficient manner    -   Increase data availability by replicating and synchronizing to        edge-of-network devices    -   Decrease load on cloud by managing transient data that never        needs to be committed to cloud data systems

These and other features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description of illustrativeembodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a cloud computing node according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a cloud computing environment according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 3 depicts abstraction model layers according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary scenario enable by one or more embodiments.

FIG. 5 shows cloud and client-side aspects of an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows a replication optimizer, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 7 shows a client-side perspective of interaction with thereplication optimizer of FIG. 6, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 8 shows device interaction with the replication optimizer of FIG.6, from the perspective of the replication optimizer of FIG. 6, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 9 shows an embodiment which enables an application to beefficiently run across multiple devices.

FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a mechanism for calculatingcomponent placement and date flows between components, in connectionwith the embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 shows device interaction with the component manager of FIG. 12,from the perspective of the component manager of FIG. 12, in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 12 shows a component manager, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 13 shows a client-side perspective of interaction with thecomponent manager of FIG. 12, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 14 shows resource sharing via an omnichannel cloudlet approach, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 15 shows an exemplary embodiment of a three-component omnichannelcloudlet.

FIG. 16 shows exemplary server- and client-side components of anembodiment related to omnichannel cloudlets.

FIG. 17 shows an omnichannel mediator, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 18 shows a method for omnichannel mediator-device interaction, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Cloud Computing Aspects

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes adetailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachingsrecited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based email). Theconsumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructureincluding network, servers, operating systems, storage, or evenindividual application capabilities, with the possible exception oflimited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for loadbalancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic of an example of a cloud computingnode is shown. Cloud computing node 10 is only one example of a suitablecloud computing node and is not intended to suggest any limitation as tothe scope of use or functionality of embodiments of the inventiondescribed herein. Regardless, cloud computing node 10 is capable ofbeing implemented and/or performing any of the functionality set forthhereinabove.

In cloud computing node 10 there is a computer system/server 12, whichis operational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use with computer system/server 12 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 12 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 12 may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 1, computer system/server 12 in cloud computing node 10is shown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. Thecomponents of computer system/server 12 may include, but are not limitedto, one or more processors or processing units 16, a system memory 28,and a bus 18 that couples various system components including systemmemory 28 to processor 16.

Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnect (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 12, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

System memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30 and/or cachememory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 34 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42,may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 42 generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.

Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or more externaldevices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 24, etc.;one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computersystem/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.)that enable computer system/server 12 to communicate with one or moreother computing devices. Such communication can occur via Input/Output(I/O) interfaces 22. Still yet, computer system/server 12 cancommunicate with one or more networks such as a local area network(LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g.,the Internet) via network adapter 20. As depicted, network adapter 20communicates with the other components of computer system/server 12 viabus 18. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardwareand/or software components could be used in conjunction with computersystem/server 12. Examples, include, but are not limited to: microcode,device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays,RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 comprises one or morecloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 2 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

FIG. 3, a set of functional abstraction layers provided by cloudcomputing environment 50 (FIG. 2) is shown. It should be understood inadvance that the components, layers, and functions shown in FIG. 3 areintended to be illustrative only and embodiments of the invention arenot limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers and correspondingfunctions are provided: Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardwareand software components.

Examples of hardware components include mainframes, in one example IBM®zSeries® systems; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecturebased servers, in one example IBM pSeries® systems; IBM xSeries®systems; IBM BladeCenter® systems; storage devices; networks andnetworking components. Examples of software components include networkapplication server software, in one example IBM Web Sphere® applicationserver software; and database software, in one example IBM DB2® databasesoftware. (IBM, zSeries, pSeries, xSeries, BladeCenter, WebSphere, andDB2 are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporationregistered in many jurisdictions worldwide).

Virtualization layer 62 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers;virtual storage; virtual networks, including virtual private networks;virtual applications and operating systems; and virtual clients.

In one example, management layer 64 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement of computingresources and other resources that are utilized to perform tasks withinthe cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing provide costtracking as resources are utilized within the cloud computingenvironment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management providescloud computing resource allocation and management such that requiredservice levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning andfulfillment provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloudcomputing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated inaccordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 66 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation; software development and lifecycle management; virtualclassroom education delivery; data analytics processing; transactionprocessing; and mobile desktop.

Managing Data Replication and Governance in Omnichannel Applications

Omnichannel applications have software components that run on acrossmultiple devices either simultaneously, or in series. At a fundamentallevel, these components form a distributed application that needs toseamlessly share data and commands and be reactive to non-deterministicinputs from the user or the environment. One or more embodiments providedata replication middleware that can be easily integrated into a mobileapplication that provides an opportunistic and context-awaresynchronization service to form the basic building block of anomnichannel application. The data replication system monitors the stateof the set of devices in a data sharing group and automaticallyoptimizes how replication should take place to meet objectivefunction(s) such as reducing energy cost or the use of a meterednetwork.

People commonly own and use multiple devices to perform a single taskthroughout the day. Application (“app”) developers create versions ofapps that can be projected to multiple device endpoints so the user canaccess a given app regardless of what device he or she is using. It willsoon be common for an app to be “partially” projected to an endpoint.Applications can be deconstructed into components, where only certaincomponents of that app will be resident on each device. This will allowthe creation of true omnichannel apps that will run across devices thatwill share resources and leverage the complementary strengths of each.For example, a user may watch a video on a large screen but control theplayback using a mobile device.

At a fundamental level, enabling an omnichannel application requires arobust and flexible data sharing mechanism so each application componentcan work off a common, shared application state and communicate changesacross devices in a timely fashion. One way to enable this is to utilizea cloud-based service to synchronize data across devices. For example,services like iCloud® (Registered mark of APPLE Inc. Cupertino, Calif.,USA), Dropbox® (Registered mark of DROPBOX, INC. San Francisco, Calif.,USA), and Google Drive™ (mark of Google Inc. Mountain View, Calif., USA)offer the ability for devices to synchronize directly to the cloud.However, these services are insufficient to enable omnichannelapplications because their synchronization schedules are periodic andcannot support low-latency synchronization requirements. Also, theseservices enforce a hub communication technology where each device has tosynchronize with the cloud, regardless of whether the data is located ona nearby device. Finally, these services provide no facility forcontext-aware synchronization, where semantics of the data can be takeninto account to establish a synchronization strategy that can minimizeenergy usage or the user of metered networks.

One or more embodiments provide data replication and synchronizationservices that are both content-aware and opportunist. FIG. 4 shows ascenario enabled by one or more embodiments. In the figure, as seen at402, a user on a mobile device connected through Wi-Fi is able toperform “standard sync,” where the device periodically synchronizes withthe cloud 408, but additionally may receive real-time updates of changesthat should be applied to his or her local copy of the data. As seen at404, the user then becomes mobile and the device is connected to thecloud through an expensive LTE connection that is metered by his or hercellular carrier. One or more embodiments allow the semantics of thedata to be taken into account; in this mode, only high priority datareceives and sends updates while other, delay-tolerant data, remainsunaffected. Finally, as seen at 406, the user returns to a Wi-Fi networkthat has a nearby laptop attached through Ethernet to the cloud. Thedevice receives the delayed updates, which have been pre-fetched fromthe cloud. This “side-loading” of data is less expensive than the directdownload and in some cases may improve the overall latency ofsynchronizing with the cloud.

FIG. 5 provides an overview of the cloud and client-side aspects of oneor more embodiments. In the figure, three mobile devices (Mobile A 502,Mobile B 504, and Mobile C 506) are connected to the cloud 510 through anetwork connection and communicate with a Replication Optimizer 511 andStorage Provider. The latter is a “big dumb disk” in the cloud 510 forpersisting files, key value pairs, and relational table data, and otherforms of data as required by the application. This former is a cloudcomponent that mediates the data replication and synchronizationopportunities among the three devices. During replication, theReplication Optimizer may refer to the Storage Provider if the mobiledevices need to store data in the cloud. The Replication Optimizer isindifferent, however, to the Storage Provider and one or moreembodiments allow the user of any enterprise or consumer StorageProvider service through a common interface.

Each device installs a minimal set of software components to access thereplication service provided by one or more embodiments. In FIG. 5, amobile app (not separately numbered to avoid clutter) is registered withthe Replication Optimizer to utilize a “governed” directory of data thatit accesses through a developer API. For example, one possibleabstraction is that of a file directory that the app can use to storefiles. However, this could also be any other kind of persistencemodel—for example the governed directory can be viewed as an objectstore that has put and get semantics for storing data. Governeddirectories across devices can be linked by using a common key thatidentifies them to the Replication Optimizer as sharing peers. Forexample, some embodiments use an application ID and user ID combinationto create this common key. When the application launches, it identifiesitself with this key and the Replication Optimizer will then attempt tokeep those directories synchronized.

The developer API (not separately numbered to avoid clutter) allows themobile app to set governance policies over the data it contains. One ormore embodiments allow the mobile app to specify a security policy, suchas an encryption strategy for the data, and also the ability to turn ondata provenance tracking, where information about application dataoperations can be logged and stored by the Replication Optimizer forlater analysis. For example, the Replication Optimizer can track thereplication of a data item across devices using provenance tracking.

In FIG. 5, Mobile A 502 locally updates its governed directory (e.g. itwrites new data to it). The Client Manager (not separately numbered toavoid clutter) runs transparently from the mobile app and monitors thedata operations that occur to the contents of the governed directory. Italso monitors the operating conditions of the device (when possible) andcommunicates this to the Replication Optimizer for planning purposes.

When the Client Manager detects a data operation has changed thegoverned directory, it communicates this to the Replication Optimizer.The Replication Manager creates a plan for how this update should beapplied across Mobile B 504 and Mobile C 506. In one or moreembodiments, the plan is calculated in the cloud and may be communicatedto each mobile device. If this is the case, the mobile device willfollow the plan to synchronize. For example, a plan could be a set ofinstructions to the device such as:

-   -   1. Wait for Wi-Fi connection    -   2. Retrieve new file.

These instructions can be encoded in a multitude of forms such as XML,binary instructions, etc.

In order to reduce the necessary logic on the client, it is possiblethat the plan is executed by only sending commands from the cloud, whichthe client will immediately respond to. For example, rather thanreceiving a complete set of instructions, the Replication Optimizer canmonitor the conditions of a device and send the instruction whenappropriate.

The Storage Provider on the client (not separately numbered to avoidclutter) assists in the synchronization of the files by providing aninterface to the cloud-based storage provider. When the client managersynchronizes (or receives updates that need to be applied) it will usethe storage provider to interact with the cloud-based storage providerto store data. However, for opportunistic synchronization, such asside-loading between peer devices, the Client Manager can bypass thestorage provider and communicate updates directly to the peer device.

The messaging component on the mobile device (not separately numbered toavoid clutter) handles the asynchronous messages that it may send andreceive to the Replication Optimizer and other devices. It allows alldevices to be informed of the latest state of the data in the governeddirectory even if their replica has not synchronized yet. One or moreembodiments employ messaging to communicate any important data updateinformation but do not necessarily need to actually send the updateitself. Rather, the device receives the message about the updated, butthen uses the Client Manager to retrieve the actual data. For example,if Mobile A 502 creates a new file, Mobile B 504 and Mobile C 506 willreceive messages that a new file was created but will not actuallyreceive the new file. Instead, the mobile devices will consult the plan(if any) they received from the Replication Optimizer for instructionson how to apply a “create file” update. If they need to replicate thefile, they will do so through the Client Manager and Storage Providerinterfaces.

FIG. 6 shows the main components in the Replication Optimizer. Storageprovider 610 is the same as that associated with cloud 510 in FIG. 5. InFIG. 6, the Synchronization Service 606 provides an API for performingfull synchronization. In some embodiments, this could be a filesynchronization API. This API would provide the facility for the mobileclient and the cloud to exchange information about changed files whilethe two were disconnected. Based on this change information, the clientand server then initiate a full synchronization protocol (for examplethe one implemented by rsync, a well-known algorithm for minimizing datatransfers while synchronizing files). This is considered “full” becausecomplete information about the state of each replica is typically usedto perform the synchronization. At the end of this process, bothreplicas should be the same.

If the app is now online and can communicate with the ReplicationOptimizer, it does not have to do a full synchronization anytime thereis a change to the replica. Instead, it can receive events about changesas described previously through messages. The Event Module 610 in theReplication Optimizer manages the routing and sending of these events.For routing, the Event Module knows what updates should be forwarded towhat clients. Some embodiments use an off-the-shelf message broker forthis, where each message can be tagged by the common key used to linkshared directories. The message broker follows the semantics typical ofpublish/subscribe systems that can quickly match subscription requeststo events and forward them. It may also have facilities to log a messageand store and forward them if the intended recipient is offline.However, these capabilities are optional in one or more embodiments.

For sending messages, the Event Module 610 may have to match to aschedule. For example, Mobile A 502 may change a file and send a messageto the Replication Optimizer. The Event Module 610 may delay sendinginformation about this event to any mobile device currently not onWi-Fi. Alternatively it could send the message immediately to thedevice.

To enable replication planning, the Replication Planner consults theTopology Monitor 604 to receive the latest information about theoperating conditions of the peers sharing a governed directory. TheTopology Manager can keep track of the location of devices, whatnetworks they are attached to, system-level statistics such as CPU load,and other information such as the current application executing on thedevice. This information is kept up-to-date by the Client Managerrunning on the device 502, 504, 506, which is monitoring thisinformation and sending to the Replication Optimizer. With completetopology information, the Replication Planner 608 can calculate the bestreplication plan for different replication situations (namely, datacreated, data updated, data deleted), which our invention will executeas described previously.

The Replication Planner 608 can also be used to ensure that a sufficientnumber of replicas exist to prevent data loss. For example, if a dataitem is only available on a single device, if that device goes offlinethan other devices will not have access to it. To prevent this, theReplication Planner can craft a plan to ensure that a sufficient numberof copies are always available. For example, the requirement to beresilient to the loss of one device can be translated to a plan of“ensure there are at least two copies of each data item across devices.”

There are many techniques that can be applied to create a plan. One ormore embodiments provide a pluggable interface so system designers canadd an algorithm to the Replication Optimizer to better meet theapplication requirements. This is beneficial because many timesoptimization must have an understanding of the semantics of the data,i.e. which data must be updated immediately versus which data is moredelay-tolerant to updates.

In a non-limiting example, group registry 602 is a database; topologymanager 604 and replication planner 608 are server-based applications;event module 610 is server-based code that sends and receives events;and synchronization service 606 is a server-based application thatresponds to REST API events.

FIG. 7 provides a flow chart 700 which illustrates how a client, such asMobile A 502 in FIG. 5, keeps the governed directory synchronized, andcommunicates topology changes to optimize the replication strategy.Processing begins at 702. In step 704, a mobile app launches, whichcauses the Storage Interface and the Client Manager to initialize insteps 706 and 708. In these steps, the Storage Interface and the ClientManager establish a connection to the cloud and may performauthentication. Once this is done, in step 710, the Client Managerinitiates a full synchronization with the cloud to receive all thelatest data. It then receives information about the current topology ofonline peers who are sharing the same data through linked governeddirectories. If the topology has changed, as in the “YES” branch ofdecision block 712, e.g. this new client wants to join, the ClientManager communicates with the Replication Optimizer and nearby peerdevices to establish links in step 714. For example the client mayestablish a Bluetooth link to a nearby device. It will also receive areplication plan (if the implementation requires the client to locallycache the plan).

Once the links are established (if needed), the application can runnormally in step 716 (reached directly via “NO” branch of block 712 ifno topology update). The Client Manager transparently monitors thecondition of the governed directory to detect data updates in step 718or requests to shut down or suspend the app. Note that data updates canoriginate from the client itself, i.e. the mobile app changes the data,or the data update can originate from a message received from theReplication Optimizer. If the data update is local, the no action needsto take place other than to inform the Replication Manager of theupdate. If the data update originates remotely, then the device must doa partial sync 720 by following the “YES” branch of decision block 718,where it only needs to make the changed data item consistent. This mayinvolve receiving updates from the server, or consulting a peer forupdates. The action is based on the replication plan it received whenthe topology was updated, or through a plan implemented by theReplication Optimizer. Control flows back to step 716. In the absence ofa data update in block 718 (“NO” branch), flow proceeds to decisionblock 722.

If the topology changes at any time, as per decision block 722 “YES”branch, the device can communicate this to the Replication Optimizer,which may then shuffle how the devices are linked in step 714, and senda new replication plan. Otherwise flow proceeds to decision block 724via the “NO” branch of block 722. If the application suspends or quitsas per the “YES” branch of block 724, one or more embodiments performvarious clean up routines 726 to disband connections to the storageprovider and Replication Optimizer. Processing stops at 728. The “NO”branch of block 724 proceeds back to step 716.

FIG. 8 provides a flow chart 800 which illustrates the steps theReplication Optimizer takes to manage the governed directories.Processing begins at 802. In step 804, a device sends a request to joina group identified by the common key (e.g. app ID and user ID). If thegroup does not exist, as per the “NO” branch of decision block 806, theReplication Optimizer initializes the group in step 808 and registersthe device as a member of the group, in group registry 602. If the groupalready exists, as per the “YES” branch of decision block 806, thedevice is added to the existing group, in group registry 602.

Adding a new device triggers an update to the group topology in step812. The Replication Optimizer calculates a new replication plan andcommunicates this to members of the group, as indicated in step 814. Itthen monitors the group in step 816, through the messages received fromeach device's Client Manager. If the conditions of the topology change,as per the “YES” branch of decision block 818 (such as a group memberleaves or switches its network connection to another medium), theReplication Optimizer updates the group topology in step 812 (assumingthe group is not empty, i.e., “NO” branch of decision block 820) andre-calculates a new replication plan. It sends this new plan to theremaining group members. Otherwise (“NO” branch of block 818) monitoringcontinues.

If the last member of a group leaves (“YES” branch of decision block820), the Replication Optimizer can tear down the group in step 822 andrecover any resources freed by the group tear down. Processing stops at824.

One or more embodiments advantageously focus on providingapplication-level component connectors that facilitate the setup ofdevices as candidates for executing omnichannel application components.One or more embodiments advantageously provide specific, standardizedcomponents that allow such connections across vendor ecosystems,application-types, and devices types; a cloud component to dynamicallyadapt the connections between devices due to topology and quality ofservice changes; and/or a replication manager that allows devices toreplicate data, even one that is not used by any particular application,to prevent data loss.

One or more embodiments coordinate links between nearby devices to forman omnichannel application.

One or more embodiments are concerned with managing data replicas, andone or more embodiments allow multiple devices beyond one handset andone PC to contain replicas; and/or address the creation of replicas forpreventing data loss.

Replication is one reason why devices might connect; however, one ormore embodiments are not dependent on a relational database managementsystem (RDMBS). Indeed, one or more embodiments do not even require thata database be installed on the device. Instead, one or more embodimentsallow devices to link together as “candidate” resources for variousmulti-device applications and provide low-level replication as aredundancy mechanism to enable data sharing and prevent data loss. Thisis more general than DBMS replication which focuses on log- orstate-based mechanisms for synchronization, as well as managingconflicts in data replicas that may have diverged. One or moreembodiments focus on linking devices together to execute applications ofwhich data replication is one subset.

Thus, one or more embodiments provide a system for providingsynchronization of applications across different devices, including amiddleware application handling component for obtaining a directory(governed directory abstraction) for an application and dynamicallydetermining a strategy for synchronization of the application acrossdifferent devices (even if using different platforms). In someembodiments, the application handling component is a cloud-basedapplication handling component. In some embodiments, the applicationhandling component dynamically determines a synchronization strategyfactoring in at least one variable (e.g., device battery life, networkavailability, device location, device data plan, type of data, etc.). Insome embodiments, the application handling component additionallyprovides security/authentication, provenance and communications. Someembodiments further include client-side components (endpoint bindings)for different mobile devices. In some embodiments, the applicationhandling component further includes a replication manager for creatingreplication policies for a running instance of an omnichannelapplication and for dynamically updating replication policies onparticipating devices.

Furthermore, in one or more embodiments, a method for providingsynchronization of applications across different devices includes amiddleware application handling component obtaining a directory(governed directory abstraction) for an application and dynamicallydetermining a strategy for synchronization of the application acrossdifferent devices (even if using different platforms). In someembodiments, the application handling component additionally providessecurity/authentication, provenance and communications. Some embodimentsfurther include creating replication policies for a running instance ofan omnichannel application and for dynamically updating replicationpolicies on participating devices.

Advanced Split Screen Support

Running a mobile application on multiple devices is now the rule and notthe exception. Users expect the same application to be available ontheir smart phones, tablets, and desktop computers. To enable moreefficient execution of an application, one or more embodiments allow theconstruction, monitoring, and optimization of running applicationcomponents on mobile devices. Using a transparent instrumentationmethod, applications communicate with an application optimizer thatprovides plans for application component placement on devices, as wellas optimized network communication between the devices and a cloud-basedservice.

Again, running a mobile application on multiple devices is now the ruleand not the exception. Users commonly have multiple devices that maycome from a variety of vendors. For many popular mobile apps, usersexpect a version of that app to be available on all of their smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. As a user's devicesbecome more varied, for example with the advent of mainstream wearablecomputing like smart watches and smart glasses, the user will expect theapplication to seamlessly run across devices in a manner that is bothseamless and efficient.

For example, a movie service may create an application that allows theuser to download a movie onto a smart phone, which then streams it tothe user's smart glasses for viewing. In this case, the application willhave concurrent execution of components on both the smart phone andglasses. In creating such an application, the coordinating of theoperation of the application is a difficult process. The devices thatmay host application components will have a variety of differentcapabilities (which can differ by orders of magnitude) and executing theapplication must be judicious about the resources the applicationconsumes during its operation.

As a simplified example, imagine the aforementioned movie app. Assumingthat the application can be broken down into three components (a moviedownloader, a movie streamer, and a video player), there are a varietyof choices regarding how this application can be executed on a smartphone and glasses. In one case, all the components can be executed onthe smart phone and the user just views the movie on the smaller screen.In another case, the video player can execute on the glasses, and acceptthe playback stream from the smartphone, which also runs the moviedownloader. Yet another case is that all the components could be run onthe glasses without using the smartphone at all. In general, given thevariety of options an application has to run on a user's devices,determining the best overall strategy can be difficult. Compounding thisdifficulty is that the available devices and their capabilities aredynamic and will be dependent on many environmental conditions and userintentions.

Prior work in distributed computing, mobile agents, and cyber foraginghas looked at creating applications where parts of that application canbe offloaded to other devices and/or cloud services with the focus onmaximizing performance; for example a voice translation application willdo the heavy computation in the cloud while the mobile device mainlyruns a user interface. More recent work has looked at automatedpartitioning of an application and offloading parts of it for thepurpose of saving energy.

One or more embodiments focus on using multiple devices to efficientlyprovide a seamless user experience. One or more embodiments provide acohesive way for a collection of devices to act as a single applicationplatform for a user; this platform will typically have to interact andexchange data with outside cloud data services. One or more embodimentskeep track of data “sinks” and “sources” within a running application;unlike prior art, one or more embodiments optimize the flow ofinformation between the devices based on a sink and source map in orderto reduce redundant data retrievals. This differs from previous work insplit screen applications, which mainly focus on enabling devices toconnect to external displays or share display resources and do notconsider resource usage.

FIG. 9 shows an overview of how one or more embodiments can be used toenable an application to be efficiently run across multiple devices. InFIG. 9, a single application 902 is made up of multiple applicationcomponents. These components can be categorized as headless, meaningthey do not directly interact with the user through a user interface(UI) view, and View Components (shaded), which provide a UI view that isrendered on a screen and interacts directly with the user.

In FIG. 9, the user has three devices, which are available toinstantiate and run different, non-overlapping components from theapplication. Using a projection plan, one or more embodiments decidewhich components should execute on each device. In FIG. 9, Projection A906 runs three headless components, Projection B 908 runs a single view,which is the device the user focuses on, and Projection C 910 runs aheadless component and a view, which the user may interact with but isnot considered the primary view. An example of such a situation would bea movie viewing application, where the user focuses on Projection B 908as the main screen, has a smart TV box downloading and decoding video onProjection A 906, and has a tablet as a second screen to synchronize anddisplay relevant content to the movie shown in projection B.

In the previous example, all devices running application componentscommunicate over a network and may have direct access to the externaldata source 904, e.g. the movie service. However, given the differentenergy capabilities of the devices, it does not make sense for eachdevice to communicate directly with the data source, especially if thedevices will be sharing. In FIG. 9, one or more embodiments set up adata flow where the components on Projection A 906 download the datafirst, then send the appropriate data to Projection B 908, which uses itto render the view. Simultaneously, Projection B 908 generates and sendsdata to Projection C 910. This data may include information receivedfrom Projection A. As neither Projection B nor Projection C interactsdirectly with the external data source 904, they can preserve theirlocal resources, reduce contention for shared network services, andreduce the load on the external data source. At the same time, the dataflow provides a low-latency setup such that the view on Projection B andC get data in a timely manner.

FIG. 10 illustrates the mechanism for calculating the componentplacement and data flows between them. At the top of the figure,application components 1002 (e.g., components of application 902) areorganized into a graph, which describes how data needs to flow betweenthem. Creating such a graph can be done manually by a developer orproduced using a combination of developer hints, static analysis, andruntime analysis techniques. Headless components usually process datathat is used to power view components. One or more embodiments placeview components “close” to the headless components that provide themdata when possible. Once the application components are organized, oneor more embodiments create a component placement strategy, whichprojects the application components onto the available devices. In theexample of FIG. 10, the first two application components are placed ondevice 1008; the next on device 1006, and the final three on device1004. The selection of the devices is based on the user intent (such asdesiring a large display for video) as well as the connectivity of eachdevice to each other and to the internet. Once the placement is done,one or more embodiments create a replication flow strategy whichdictates how the devices should link to each other, and what data shouldflow between the devices. The objective here is to reduce redundantcommunications, reduce the latency of data replication, and optimize theoverall device resources hosting the application. In the non-limitingexample of FIG. 10, device 1012 communicates directly with cloud data1010, and passes required information to device 1014 which in turninteracts with device 1016. Please note devices 1008, 1012, 1018 may bethe same device; devices 1006, 1014, 1020 may be the same device; anddevices 1018, 1020, 1022 may be the same device; different numbers areused in each row for precision. Furthermore, cloud data 1010, 1024 maybe the same; again, different numbers are used in each row forprecision.

Mobile environments are very dynamic and the system must adapt tochanges. In the final step, one or more embodiments monitor the runningapplication. Should a device 1018 leave the application, e.g. runs outof energy, user decides to turn it off, the system can react to this byrepeating the above calculations for component placement and replicationflows based on the new device topology. This adaptation continues untilno such strategy exists or the user decides to terminate theapplication. In the adaptation in this example, a view component fromdevice 1018 migrates to device 1020, and device 1022 now communicatesdirectly with cloud data 1024 and interacts with device 1020.

FIG. 12 shows an exemplary architecture of to enable the features ofFIG. 10. In FIG. 12, client-side components on devices 1202, 1204, 1206are transparently added to applications to allow the execution ofcomponents on each device. This code could be pre-installed on thedevice for use by many applications or it can be transparently added tothe application using program analysis and code injection techniques.The client side includes a probe (not separately numbered to avoidclutter), which monitors the state of the device such as networkconnections, CPU load, application usage, and can report thesestatistics to the server component using a remote procedure call (RPC)component (not separately numbered to avoid clutter). In oneimplementation, the user can manually activate the probe to reportdevice availability and conditions when the user wants to run aparticular application. One or more embodiments do not assume this probeis always running.

The RPC component can use a variety of protocols such as HTTP tocommunicate with the server (e.g., on which component manager 1220resides) or with other devices. Finally, the component engine can hostapplication components and execute them. One or more embodiments assumethat each application will have a copy of a component that may betailored for specific applications. One or more embodiments assume nostandardization other than the ability to accept and execute components,and conforming to a messaging protocol with the server. One or moreembodiments also assume that the RPC mechanism can be contacted in thebackground to respond to messages from the Component Manager 1220.

Component Manager 1220 is responsible for creating the applicationprojection plans and dictating how the data should flow among thedevices executing an application. In FIG. 12, the cloud componentmaintains an application registry 1210, which describes the applicationcomponents (headless and views) and specifies how each applicationcomponent depends on each other and what data needs to be exchanged.

The user can launch an application, by selecting it on a device. Ratherthan launch all components on that device however, the user can requestto run it in multi-device mode. In this mode, the client componentengine calls the Component Manager 1220 and requests the instantiationof the application across available devices. The Component Managerreceives the request and retrieves any information it has about theuser's available devices for running the selected application. Thisinformation may already be available if the client-side probes haverecently sent data; otherwise the Component Manager may wait for aperiod of time before the creating a plan.

The Component Manager 1220 has an RPC component 1218, which interactswith the client-side components. It also has an event engine 1216, whichprocesses messages from the client to create a model of the devicetopology. The Modeler component 1214 uses this model to interact withthe Planner component 1212, which runs various algorithms to determinethe placement of components on devices in the model, as well as the dataflows that should exist between the components. For example, the Plannercan run an iterative search algorithm to determine the lowest cost pathbetween all sources and sinks to create the data flow plan. In general,these algorithms are tractable given the small search size.

In an exemplary embodiment, application repository 1208 is a data store.Functionality of RPC 1218 is discussed elsewhere herein. Event engine1216 is a web application with storage accessible to it, to storeinformation it collects. It correlates received events with each other.Modeler 1214 reads the data stored by the event engine, and createshigher-level interpretations of the data. For example, modeler 1214reads the list of received events and creates a graph of the devicesthat are in communication with each other. Planner 1212 carries outoptimization based on the graph or other models produced by the modeler.For example, if the data placement is to be optimized, planner 1212 mayensure that the omnichannel application is resilient to the loss of adevice. Non-limiting optimization techniques include network algorithmsto create minimum-cost and/or minimum-weight trees. Other alternativesinclude use of linear programming and/or operations research techniquesto undertake cost optimization. Registry 1210 is a database registeringdevices and application components.

FIG. 11 provides a flow chart 1100 which illustrates the steps theComponent Manager takes to create a component placement and data flowplan to the clients. Processing begins at 1102. In step 1104, thecomponent manager loads an application specification of the desiredapplication to be launched. Based on information received from theclients, in step 1106 it constructs a model of how the available devicesare configured. If no plan is in place (i.e., new plan needed, “YES”branch of decision block 1108), the Component Manager calculates a newflow plan in step 1110 that says what components should be executed oneach device and how they should send data to each other. In one or moreembodiments, assume that clients can download application componentsfrom the application registry; alternatively the components can alreadybe resident on the device. In step 1112, the Component Manager sends theflow plan to each device running the components. Once the application isrunning, the Component Manager keeps track of events received from thedevices, in step 1114. Note that if a plan was in place (i.e., no newplan needed, “NO” branch of decision block 1108), processing proceedsdirectly to step 1114.

In decision block 1116, if the events monitored in step 1114 dictatethat a new model is needed, as per the “YES” branch of block 1116, theComponent Manager creates a new plan based on the aforementioned steps.If no new model is needed, as per the “NO” branch of block 1116, theComponent Manager continues to monitor events. If the applicationterminates, as per the “YES” branch of decision block 1118, theComponent Manager can clean up any unneeded state and stop monitoringfor this application, in step 1120. Otherwise, as per the “NO” branch ofdecision block 1118, go back to step 1114 and continue monitoring.

FIG. 13 provides a flow chart 1300 which illustrates the steps theclient-side performs. Processing begins at 1302. In step 1304, anapplication developer creates specifications of an application thatdescribe the different components. Once these components are ready, asper step 1306, in step 1308, they can be installed into a repository1208 such as an app store where clients can download them immediately,or wait till the user wishes to launch the application. At that point,the Component Manager monitors the client requests for applicationlaunch, in step 1310.

When the application is launched (“YES” branch of decision block 1312),the client sends any data the Component Manager needs to create a plan.This can include currently running applications, CPU load, wirelessconditions, etc., as generally indicated in step 1314. It then gets theplan from the Component Manager in step 1316 and executes the necessarycomponents. Other devices that will run other components do the samesteps and will receive their instructions directly from the ComponentManager. The running app is registered in step 1318.

Once the components are running (“NO” branch of decision block 1312),the devices may receive a command to await a new plan (“YES” branch ofdecision block 1320). The client can suspend executing its currentcomponents and send any state information to the Component Manager instep 1322 to help in constructing the new plan. It then gets the newplan in step 1324 and registers the new configuration it has installedto the Component Manager in step 1326. For example, the client may haveto run additional components if another device leaves. Once it installsthese components it tells the server what it has done so the ComponentManager has the latest information.

Finally (“NO” branch of decision block 1320), the application canterminate (“YES” branch of decision block 1328), which may require theclient to clean up various states in step 1330 before stopping at 1332.If not terminating, flow returns to step 1310.

Thus, in one or more embodiments, a technique for providing and runningmulti-device applications includes creating component placement and dataflows to optimize the execution of the application(s) on the devices,and monitoring and executing application components. In some cases, theserver-side middleware is a cloud-based application handling component.In some cases, the server-side middleware provides an applicationregistry for storing and retrieving application specifications. In somecases, the server-side middleware provides event handling and modelingto create a model of available devices to run the application. In someembodiments, the server-side middleware provides a planning componentthat uses the model to create optimized component and data flow plansbased at least on variables such as energy, reduced communicationredundancy, and/or user interaction latency.

In some cases, the server-side middleware can dynamically update theplan based on new events received from the client. Some embodimentsfurther include client-side components for different mobile devices. Insome such embodiments, the client-side components can monitor devicestate. In some such embodiments, the client-side components can interactwith the server-side middleware to update and receive plans. In somesuch embodiments, the client-side components can receive and executeapplication components.

Advanced Application Projection

Users commonly have multiple devices within arm's reach. Omnichannelapplications are distributed applications that can run on a collectionof devices, to share resources and utilize the complementary strengthsof each. One or more embodiments provide a framework for enabling theconstruction of omnichannel applications by allowing a user's personaldevices to configure themselves into omnichannel groups to collectivelyperform tasks for the users. One or more embodiments utilize acloud-based mediator component that acts as an authenticator and managerfor establishing omnichannel groups, and a minimal set of client-sidecomponents that allow the devices to establish links to each other inorder to configure and launch different components in an omnichannelapplication.

Users commonly have multiple devices within arm's reach and routinelyuse a number of devices to perform tasks throughout the day. The usermay use the devices sequentially; for example, a user may be outshopping and use a smartphone to compare online prices with that of anitem he or she encounters in a store. He or she may defer purchase untillater in the day when he or she is at a desktop computer, where he orshe reads reviews of related items. Later, the user is reminded of theitem when using his or her tablet, and decides to make the purchase atan online store. The user may also use the devices synchronously; forexample, a user may be watching a live sports event on a smarttelevision and decide to link his or her tablet to the broadcast as a“second screen.” During the game, the user can see additional, relatedcontent about the sports event on his or her tablet. He or she may evenbe able to use the tablet as a remote control and call up alternatecamera angles that can be displayed on his or her smart television.

In both cases, the user desires a seamless experience where the deviceswork fluidly with each other to perform the tasks required by the user.At a fundamental level, this requires applications to have the abilityto seamlessly share data and instructions across devices, and bereactive to non-deterministic inputs from the user or the environment.This requires at the lowest level, the ability to establishrelationships between devices such that data and instructions can besynchronized across them in a coherent manner. One or more embodimentsprovide a framework that allows developers to easily constructomnichannel applications using cloud and client-side middleware that canconfigure a set of devices to work in a cohesive manner. Rather thanviewing a user's personal devices as a disparate set of mismatchedcomponents, one or more embodiments view the devices as a cohesive unitthat can share resources and leverage the complementary strengths ofeach.

FIG. 14 shows this view. In FIG. 14, the cloud 1402 hosts differentservices a user can access. Instead of each of the users' devicesaccessing the cloud independently, one or more embodiments view thedevices as an omnichannel cloudlet 1406, 1408, 1410, which performstasks on behalf of the user. Communication to and from the cloud is donewith the omnichannel cloudlet as the endpoint, not the individualdevice.

Omnichannel cloudlets can be advantageous in many ways. FIG. 15 showsone scenario where an omnichannel cloudlet is formed from three devices:desktop computer 1512, smartphone 1534, and a smart TV box 1504connected to a large television 1502. In the figure, the user wishes toview photographs on the large display 1502 and has his or her mobilephone 1534 in hand. Rather than view the file on a single device, he orshe uses an omnichannel file viewing application, which has threecomponents: file retriever 1530, file controller 1532, and file viewer1536. Each of these components is located on one of the devices in hisor her omnichannel cloudlet. He or she launches the app on her phone1534, which connects to the omnichannel mediator 1506 to authorize andconfigure an omnichannel application. Through this process, the user'smobile phone is able to link and request the execution of file viewingcomponents on the desktop computer 1512 and the smart TV box 1504.During execution, the desktop 1512 uses its fast Ethernet connection todownload and locally cache photos from an online file server 1508. Thephoto files are seen in transit at 1510 and the cache is at 1514. Theuser's mobile phone 1534 retrieves the photos from the desktop computer1512 wirelessly, and forwards them wirelessly to the smart TV box 1504;the photo files in transit are seen at 1516. The box 1504 is running afile viewer 1536, which can accept photos from the mobile phone anddisplay them on the external display 1502. In this example, the fileviewing app is really an omnichannel application which has distributedits components across the user's personal devices. At the lowest level,these components are linked to each other to share data and instructions(commands). One or more embodiments address this need and provide aframework to allow such sharing and configuration to take place.

FIG. 16 shows the server-side and client-side components of one or moreembodiments. In FIG. 16, the cloud hosts an Omnichannel Mediatorcomponent 1506, which is responsible for the authentication,authorization, and configuration of omnichannel cloudlets made up of auser's personal devices. The figure depicts three devices that canpotentially form an omnichannel cloudlet. The devices include two mobiledevices 1604 and 1606, such as a tablet and a smartphone, and a desktopclass computer 1602.

Each device has a minimal set of client-side software components toenable cloudlet formation. The endpoint binding component (notseparately numbered to avoid clutter) is responsible for accessingplatform-specific functions and can connect to different input channelsthat the device may have. The endpoint binding provides a common entrypoint for different platforms and devices, which allows the omnichannelcloudlet to form on devices of different vendors. The endpoint bindingcan be a user-facing component that the user can use to configure theexecution of running omnichannel applications. The endpoint binding runsa listening service that can be connected to different networkinterfaces on the device. The listening service is responsible forresponding to requests from other devices of the Omnichannel Mediator.In the photo example, the Smart TV endpoint binding will receiverequests from the smart phone over Wi-Fi to establish a link to sharephoto data and remote control commands originating from the smart phone.

The endpoint manager is also responsible for monitoring the omnichannelcloudlet during the execution of an application and reporting back tothe Omnichannel Mediator 1506. This allows the omnichannel cloudlet tobe reactive to changes in device topology or operating conditions. Forexample, in the photo viewing scenario, the Wi-Fi connection between thedesktop and the smart phone may suddenly break. The smartphone caninform the Omnichannel Mediator, which can then instruct the desktop andsmartphone to establish a communication link using Bluetooth instead.

The Link Manager in FIG. 16 (not separately numbered to avoid clutter)is responsible for opening and maintaining communication links to otherdevices in the omnichannel cloudlet. It will receive instructions fromthe endpoint binding, which in turn is receiving instructions from theOmnichannel Mediator, as to which devices to link to and how that linkshould be maintained. Again, resorting to the photo example, theOmnichannel Mediator will instruct the desktop computer to link to afile server in the cloud over Ethernet and use a File Retrievercomponent to download and cache files from that server. The smart phonewill establish a link with the desktop computer over Wi-Fi to access theFile Retriever component and access files that are locally cached on thedesktop. Finally, the smartphone will establish a link, also over Wi-Fi,to the smart TV box to send photos and remote control commands.

The Component Registry (not separately numbered to avoid clutter) isresponsible for keeping track of different application components andlaunching the appropriate components during the cloudlet formation. Thecomponent registry can be thought of as a registry of building blocksthat can be used to perform a task. In the photo example, the componentregistry on each device knows that it has a single component from thefile viewing app. During cloudlet formation, the component registry willreceive a command to launch its component of the file viewingapplication and prepare to receive instructions or data over thecommunication link established by the link manager.

FIG. 17 depicts the components that make up the Omnichannel Mediator1506. The mediator is responsible for providing instructions to thedevices on how to form an omnichannel cloudlet for a given application.As a network-based component, the mediator provides a serviceapplication program interface (API) 1702 that the devices can call toauthenticate, authorize, and configure instructions. The mediatorincludes a messaging broker service 1710 since it is likely that themediator may need to send messages to the devices in an omnichannelcloudlet. Each device in the cloudlet registers to receive messages thatare relevant to its operations.

The mediator keeps a set of application configuration policies 1708 thattells devices how they should configure themselves for given topology ofdevices and operation conditions. One or more embodiments assume thatthese configuration policies are calculated offline and are stored at1708. During the formation of the omnichannel cloudlet, the applicationconfiguration policy will dictate the set of instructions each devicewill receive to form the cloudlet. To dynamically adapt to changes inthe omnichannel cloudlet, the policies also contain instructions on howto adapt to changes with minimal disruption to a running application.For example, switching the smartphone to use Bluetooth to communicatewith the desktop computer does not impact the connection to the smart TVbox (assuming the Wi-Fi connection between the two still works).

The Mediator 1506 may require access to storage providers to store someof its information (such as policies), as well as shared applicationstate for running applications in an omnichannel cloudlet. The StorageProvider Interface 1706 can be used to plug in multiple storageproviders for this purpose. For example, the Mediator may store filesneeded by a file sharing application—it can use an inexpensive objectstore to do this, or use a more expensive but higher capability databaseinstead. The Storage Provider interface makes the process of usingvarying storage providers more flexible.

The Omnichannel Group Registry 1704 keeps track of devices, applicationsIDs, and user IDs needed to authenticate and authorize the formation ofomnichannel applications. Random, untrusted devices cannot be used torun application components. Instead, users specify the personal devicesthey own that can be used for different omnichannel applications. ThisGroup Registry acts as the bookkeeper of this information. Duringauthentication, the mediator will consult with the group registry toconfirm that a device with a certain ID is allowed to join anomnichannel group running an application with a certain ID. Note thatauthentication credentials can be stored on the device and communicatedto the mediator in a number of ways, e.g. using the OAuth open standardfor authorization, or some other suitable authentication protocol.Alternatively, the user may be prompted by the device to join theomnichannel group using a username and password (or some other form ofauthentication credential).

In a non-limiting example, application component configuration policieselement 1708 is a database with plans contained therein. In someinstances, the plans are produced by the above-discussed optimizer. Theplans could also be prepared by human subject matter experts. Storageprovider interface 1706 is provided because material stored in the cloudmay not be collocated in the cloud with the mediator 1506. In someinstances, storage provider interface 1706 is implemented as devicedriver code for the remotely located data store. Omnichannel groupregistry 1704 is a secure database including active identification keys(i.e., identification keys for active omnichannel applications).Messaging broker 1710 in one or more embodiments is similar to the eventmodule described elsewhere herein. Mediator service API 1702 is an APIfor the synchronization service described elsewhere herein.

FIG. 18 provides a flow chart 1800 which illustrates the basic stepsrequired by a single device to join and participate in an omnichannelcloudlet to execute an application. Processing begins at 1802. In step1804, the device authenticates with the mediator by providing some formof credential as described previously. The mediator authorizes thedevice and may send it an authorization token, which the device uses tosecurely communicate with its peers in the omnichannel cloudlet. Themediator will also send instructions on which potential peers it shouldlink to if those peers are already formed into a cloudlet.Alternatively, the mediator may send instructions for the device toinitiate the formation of a cloudlet.

In step 1806, the device queries its available communication channels tofind devices to form the cloudlet. If one is already formed and thedevice just needs to be added, it will look for specific devices onspecific channels as instructed by the mediator. If the cloudlet is justforming, the device may use a discovery protocol to query for nearbydevices—for example it may use BLUETOOTH (registered certification markof BLUETOOTH SIG, INC. Kirkland, Wash., USA) or zero-configurationnetworking (i.e. Bonjour) to discover devices that are a short distanceaway. If the device discovers a candidate peer to connect to, it willregister this device, and potentially its location, and continue tosearch for peers. Eventually, the device will end the search.

In step 1810, one or more candidate devices found in the previous stepwill report the perceived topology of candidate peers to the mediator,as well as other operating considerations such as “smartphone is onLTE,” or “desktop CPU is 60%.” The mediator will then search for theappropriate policy for configuring the omnichannel cloudlet and thensend the instructions to one or more candidate devices in the cloud.

The device will receive link instructions in step 1814. The linkinstructions will contain information as to the location of the device,what channel to use to connect (such as Wi-Fi (registered certificationmark of Wi-Fi Alliance, Austin Tex., USA) or Bluetooth), and otherconsiderations (such as, the device may need several retries toestablish a connection).

In step 1816, the device will establish the appropriate links. Note thatit is not necessary for all the devices to be completely connected toeach other. Instead, each device only needs to connect to a peer devicethat it needs to send and receive data from. This is determined by thepolicies of the mediator.

Once the devices are linked, in step 1818, they launch the necessarycomponents to run the application. For example, the smart phone in thephoto example will launch the File Control component, and then configurethis component to communicate over the established links to peer devicesrunning associated components.

In step 1820, the application and omnichannel cloudlet are ready andthey execute the application.

As shown in decision block 1826, during the execution of theapplication, the endpoint binding on the device monitors the operatingconditions. Should they change drastically forcing a reconfiguration ofthe application, the device contacts the mediator with the newconditions in order to optimize the running application (i.e., flowreturns to step 1810 as per the “YES” branch of block 1826). To avoidmultiple devices reporting the same topology change information to themediator, devices may elect a single device as the topology manager, ormay prioritize the devices such that the mediator will ignore lowerpriority topology changes if it has received a higher priority one.

In the absence of any topology change, simply continue to execute theapplication, as per the “NO” branch of block 1826.

When the user is finished with the app, the app can shut down in step1822. Shutting down can cause all links to be severed and allapplication state(s) to be flushed from the devices. Alternatively, someapplication state and topology information can be cached for future use.

Logical flow ends in step 1824.

Thus, one or more embodiments provide a system forapplication-projection pairing with synchronous content sharing betweenat least two devices, including at least one end point component at ahost device including a discovery component for discovering availabletarget devices and services, a connection component for connecting hostto target devices along an application messaging channel, an applicationlaunching component for instructing secure launching of applicationcomponents on a target device; and a messaging component for allowingexchange of data and control messages securely between the host andtarget devices; and at least one end point component at each remotetarget device including a connection component for connecting devicesalong an application messaging channel, an application launchingcomponent for securely launching application components at the targetdevice; and a messaging component for receiving/exchanging data andcontrolling messages from/with the host device.

Furthermore, one or more embodiments provide a method forapplication-projection pairing with synchronous content sharing betweenat least two devices, including the steps of a host device discoveringat least one available target device for pairing; connecting the hostdevice to at least one available target device along an applicationmessaging channel; securely launching an application on the targetdevice as a projection of the application currently running on the hostdevice; and ending data and control messages from the application on thehost device to the projection of the application on the at least onetarget device.

In some cases, data replication components are provided to transfer datato the correct application at the target device. In some cases, aninterface with a transactional system is provided to commit any changes.Some embodiments include multichannel discovery; multichannel linking;and/or cloud component mediation, authentication, and/or authorization.In some cases, the host application runs projections on multipledifferent devices.

Recapitulation

The skilled artisan will thus appreciate that one or more embodimentsinclude aspects addressing different layers of omnichannel applicationimplementation. Advanced Application Projection represents the lowest ofthe layers and addresses how to enable multiple devices to communicatein an omnichannel application (in some sense this can be thought of as alink layer, albeit in a sense different than used in networkingresearch). Advanced Application Projection addresses modificationsrequired to the current state of the art to enable an omnichannelapplication to be run in an optimal fashion on multiple devices.

Advanced Split Screen Support relates to a layer that has severalaspects. In one aspect, this layer facilitates a developer building anomnichannel application. Furthermore, when building the application,this layer allows the developer to be mindful that pieces of theapplication will run on different devices. Yet further, this layerassists in placing different pieces of the omnichannel application ondifferent devices in an optimal manner. Optimization can include, forexample, how the devices communicate.

Managing Data Replication and Governance in Omnichannel Applicationsrelates to a layer that addresses a framework for how to build anoptimizer. Exemplary techniques include network algorithms such as thespanning tree algorithm, minimal cost network techniques, and the like.Optimization can be carried out with one or more different goals inmind, i.e., rapid data transfer, long battery life, minimize use ofexpensive networks, and so on.

Referring again to FIG. 16, some embodiments provide a client-sidesystem including endpoint binding, a link manager, and a componentregistry. The endpoint binding modules facilitate communication betweenthe devices 1602, 1604, 1606 and the cloud; the link manager modulesmaintain communications links between the devices 1602, 1604, 1606; andthe component registry keeps each particular client device 1602, 1604,1606 informed of what components it is running.

Given the discussion thus far, and with reference again to FIGS. 6-8, itwill be appreciated that, in general terms, an exemplary method,according to an aspect of the invention, includes the step 804 ofobtaining, at a replication optimizer running on at least one hardwareprocessor in a network node, a request from a first remote device tojoin a group of remote devices executing an omnichannel application.Said request includes a common key identifying said group of remotedevices executing said omnichannel application. This step can be carriedout, for example, with group registry 602. An additional step 810includes adding said first remote device to said group of remote devicesexecuting said omnichannel application. This step can also be carriedout, for example, with group registry 602. A further step 812 includesupdating topology of said group of remote devices executing saidomnichannel application to obtain an updated group topology. This stepcan be carried out, for example, with topology monitor 604. An evenfurther step 814 includes establishing a data replication plan for saidgroup of remote devices executing said omnichannel application, based onsaid updated group topology. This step can be carried out, for example,with replication planner 608. Yet a further step includes obtaining, atsaid replication optimizer running on at least one hardware processor ina network node, an indication from one device of said group of remotedevices executing said omnichannel application, that a data update hasoccurred for said omnichannel application on said one device of saidgroup of remote devices executing said omnichannel application. Considerthe data update of step 718 being received in the cloud. This step canbe carried out, for example, with event module 610. Another stepincludes sending, from said replication optimizer running on at leastone hardware processor in a network node, to said group of remotedevices executing said omnichannel application, at least one of: (i)said data replication plan; and (ii) instructions in accordance withsaid data replication plan; to specify how said data update for saidomnichannel application on said one device of said group of remotedevices executing said omnichannel application is to be propagated toremaining devices of said group of remote devices executing saidomnichannel application. This step can be carried out, for example, withan instruction propagation module such as synchronization service 606 orevent module 610. In some embodiments, the instruction propagationmodule includes a messaging broker in the cloud. In some cases, insteadof the cloud pushing messages to the clients, the clients periodicallycommunicate with the cloud to obtain updates. In this latter case,clients occasionally execute a synch (synchronization) to look forupdates using synch service 606.

In some cases, said step of establishing said data replication plan forsaid group of remote devices executing said omnichannel application,based on said updated group topology, comprises establishing said planto reduce use of metered networks during said propagation of said dataupdate to remaining devices of said group of remote devices executingsaid omnichannel application.

In some cases, said step of establishing said data replication plan forsaid group of remote devices executing said omnichannel application,based on said updated group topology, comprises establishing said planto reduce energy cost during said propagation of said data update toremaining devices of said group of remote devices executing saidomnichannel application.

In some embodiments, said step of establishing said data replicationplan for said group of remote devices executing said omnichannelapplication, based on said updated group topology, comprisesestablishing said plan to consider priority of data updated during saiddata update.

In some embodiments, an additional step includes advising said remainingdevices of said group of remote devices executing said omnichannelapplication of said data update prior to said propagation of said dataupdate to said remaining devices of said group of remote devicesexecuting said omnichannel application.

In another aspect, with reference again to FIGS. 11 and 12, anotherexemplary method includes the step 1104 of loading, at a componentmanager running on at least one hardware processor in a network node, aspecification for an omnichannel application to execute on a group ofremote devices. Said omnichannel application has a plurality ofcomponents including at least one view component and at least oneheadless component. This step can be carried out, for example, withregistry 1210. A further step 1106 includes building, with saidcomponent manager running on said at least one hardware processor insaid network node, a model describing how said group of remote devicesis configured. This step can be carried out, for example, with topologymodeler 1214. A still further step 1110 includes creating, with saidcomponent manager running on said at least one hardware processor insaid network node, a flow plan, based on said specification and saidmodel, describing which of said plurality of components should beexecuted on which individual devices of said group of remote devices andhow data should flow to individual devices of said group of remotedevices. This step can be carried out, for example, with planner 1212.Another step 1112 includes sending said flow plan from said componentmanager running on said at least one hardware processor in said networknode, to said group of remote devices. This step can be carried out, forexample, with a suitable messaging module; RPC 1218 is a non-limitingexample. Some embodiments send the message through a messaging broker.

Some embodiments further include step 1114, monitoring, with saidcomponent manager running on said at least one hardware processor insaid network node, device events from said group of remote devices; and,responsive to at least one of said device events, revising, with saidcomponent manager running on said at least one hardware processor insaid network node, said model describing how said group of remotedevices are configured, to obtain a revised model. Refer to decisionblock 1116 and step 1106. A still further step in such instancesincludes repeated step 1110, creating, with said component managerrunning on said at least one hardware processor in said network node, arevised flow plan, based on said specification and said revised model,describing which of said plurality of components should be executed onwhich individual devices of said group of remote devices and how datashould flow to individual devices of said group of remote devices. Aneven further step (repeated step 1212) includes sending said revisedflow plan from said component manager running on said at least onehardware processor in said network node, to said group of remotedevices.

In some cases, said step of creating said flow plan comprises creatingsaid flow plan based on user intent and connectivities of said group ofremote devices.

In some cases, said step of creating said flow plan comprises creatingsaid flow plan such that at least one device of said group of remotedevices obtains said data directly from an external data source and suchthat at least one other device of said group of remote devices obtainssaid data indirectly from a member of said group of remote devices.

In some instances, the step of building said model comprises buildingsaid model as a data sink and source map; and said step of creating saidflow plan comprises creating said flow plan to reduce redundant dataretrievals.

In still another aspect, with reference again to FIGS. 17 and 18, stillanother exemplary method includes the step 1804 of authenticating, at anomnichannel mediator running on at least one hardware processor in anetwork node, a remote device that wishes to participate in anomnichannel cloudlet to execute an application. This step can be carriedout, for example, with omnichannel group registry 1704. A further stepincludes, responsive to said authentication, sending, from saidomnichannel mediator running on said at least one hardware processor insaid network node, to said remote device that wishes to participate insaid omnichannel cloudlet to execute said application, instructionsenabling said remote device that wishes to participate in saidomnichannel cloudlet to execute said application to enter saidomnichannel cloudlet with at least one other remote device. Consider theserver side of step 1806. This step can be carried out, for example,with messaging broker 1710. A still further step 1810 includesobtaining, at said omnichannel mediator running on said at least onehardware processor in said network node, topology and operating stateinformation regarding said remote devices in said omnichannel cloudlet.This step can also be carried out, for example, with messaging broker1710. An even further step includes, based on said topology andoperating state information regarding said remote devices in saidomnichannel cloudlet, and based also on application componentconfiguration policies, preparing, with said omnichannel mediatorrunning on said at least one hardware processor in said network node,link instructions specifying how said remote device is to link to saidat least one other remote device within said omnichannel cloudlet.Consider the server side of step 1814. This step can be carried out, forexample, with application component configuration policies 1708. Anotherstep includes sending, from said omnichannel mediator running on said atleast one hardware processor in said network node, to said remote devicethat wishes to participate in said omnichannel cloudlet to execute saidapplication, said link instructions. Consider the server side of step1814. This step can be carried out, for example, with applicationcomponent configuration policies 1708.

In some cases, further steps include obtaining (repeated step 1810), atsaid omnichannel mediator running on said at least one hardwareprocessor in said network node, updated topology and operating stateinformation regarding said remote devices in said omnichannel cloudlet;based on said updated topology and operating state information regardingsaid remote devices in said omnichannel cloudlet, and based also on saidapplication component configuration policies, preparing (repeated serverside of step 1814), with said omnichannel mediator running on said atleast one hardware processor in said network node, updated linkinstructions specifying how said remote device is to link to said atleast one other remote device within said omnichannel cloudlet; andsending, from said omnichannel mediator running on said at least onehardware processor in said network node, to said remote device that nowparticipates in said omnichannel cloudlet to execute said application,said updated link instructions.

In some cases, in said step of sending said instructions enabling saidremote device that wishes to participate in said omnichannel cloudlet toexecute said application to enter said omnichannel cloudlet with said atleast one other remote device, said omnichannel cloudlet already exists.

On the other hand, in some cases, in said step of sending saidinstructions enabling said remote device that wishes to participate insaid omnichannel cloudlet to execute said application to enter saidomnichannel cloudlet with said at least one other remote device, saidomnichannel cloudlet does not already exist, and said instructionsenabling said remote device that wishes to participate in saidomnichannel cloudlet to execute said application to enter saidomnichannel cloudlet with said at least one other remote device compriseinstructions for forming said cloudlet.

In some instances, in said step of obtaining said topology and operatingstate information, said operating state information comprises centralprocessing unit usage data and type of network connectivity.

In another aspect, an exemplary system is provided for coordinating,from a network node (e.g., in the cloud 408), a group of remote devices(e.g., 1602, 1604, 1606) executing an omnichannel application. Saidsystem includes an omnichannel mediator 1506 that coordinates formationof at least two of said remote devices into an omnichannel cloudlet. Thesystem also includes a component manager 1220 that controls which of aplurality of components of said omnichannel application should optimallybe placed on which individual devices of said omnichannel cloudlet andhow data should flow to individual devices of said omnichannel cloudlet.The system further includes a replication optimizer (see FIG. 6) thatoptimally coordinates data replication for the group of remote device.

In some cases, the system includes a memory, and at least one processorthat is coupled to the memory and operative to perform exemplary methodsteps; for example, by executing discrete software modules describedherein.

In some cases, said replication optimizer optimally coordinates saiddata replication for the group of remote devices to minimize use ofexpensive metered network connections.

In some instances, said component manager optimally controls saidcomponent placement and data flow to increase resiliency of theomnichannel cloudlet to loss of an individual device.

In some instances, said component manager optimally controls saidcomponent placement and data flow to take into account differing datastorage capabilities of devices in said omnichannel cloudlet.

It should be noted that any of the methods described herein can includean additional step of providing a system comprising distinct softwaremodules embodied on a computer readable storage medium; the modules caninclude, for example, any or all of the appropriate elements depicted inthe block diagrams in any of the pertinent figures and/or describedherein; by way of example and not limitation, any one, some or all ofthe modules/blocks and or sub-modules/sub-blocks in FIGS. 5, 6, 9, 10,12, and 15-17, such as any one, some, or all of a group registry module,a topology monitor module, a replication planner module, an eventmodule, an instruction propagation module, a registry module, a modelermodule, a planner module, a messaging module, an omnichannel groupregistry module, a messaging broker module, and an application componentconfiguration policies module. The method steps can then be carried outusing the distinct software modules and/or sub-modules of the system, asdescribed above, executing on one or more hardware processors such as16. Further, a computer program product can include a computer-readablestorage medium with code adapted to be implemented to carry out one ormore method steps described herein, including the provision of thesystem with the distinct software modules.

Exemplary System and Article of Manufacture Details

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: authenticating, at anomnichannel mediator, which comprises an omnichannel group registry anda set of application configuration policies running on at least onehardware processor in a network node, a remote device that wishes toparticipate in an omnichannel cloudlet to execute an application,wherein said omnichannel mediator authenticates said remote device byconsulting said omnichannel group registry according to a deviceidentification of said remote device stored by said omnichannel groupregistry; responsive to said authentication, sending, from saidomnichannel mediator running on said at least one hardware processor insaid network node, to said remote device that wishes to participate insaid omnichannel cloudlet to execute said application, instructionsenabling said remote device that wishes to participate in saidomnichannel cloudlet to execute said application to enter saidomnichannel cloudlet with at least one other remote device, wherein saiddevice identification is associated with an application identificationof said application in said omnichannel group registry and saidinstructions are sent to said remote device responsive to saidomnichannel mediator detecting said association of said deviceidentification and said application identification; obtaining, at saidomnichannel mediator running on said at least one hardware processor insaid network node, topology and operating state information regardingremote devices in said omnichannel cloudlet; based on said topology andoperating state information regarding said remote devices in saidomnichannel cloudlet, and based also on said application configurationpolicies, preparing, with said omnichannel mediator running on said atleast one hardware processor in said network node, communication linkinstructions specifying a communication mode by which said remote deviceis to link to said at least one other remote device within saidomnichannel cloudlet; and sending said communication link instructions,from said omnichannel mediator running on said at least one hardwareprocessor in said network node, to said remote device that wishes toparticipate in said omnichannel cloudlet to execute said application. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining, at saidomnichannel mediator running on said at least one hardware processor insaid network node, updated topology and operating state informationregarding said remote devices in said omnichannel cloudlet; based onsaid updated topology and operating state information regarding saidremote devices in said omnichannel cloudlet, and based also on saidapplication configuration policies, preparing, with said omnichannelmediator running on said at least one hardware processor in said networknode, updated communication link instructions specifying thecommunication mode by which said remote device is to link to said atleast one other remote device within said omnichannel cloudlet; andsending, from said omnichannel mediator running on said at least onehardware processor in said network node, to said remote device that nowparticipates in said omnichannel cloudlet to execute said application,said updated communication link instructions.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the communication link specifies communication via one ofBluetooth or Wi-Fi and the updated communication link specifiescommunication via the other of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein, in said step of sending said instructions enablingsaid remote device that wishes to participate in said omnichannelcloudlet to execute said application to enter said omnichannel cloudletwith said at least one other remote device, said omnichannel cloudletalready exists.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein, in said step ofsending said instructions enabling said remote device that wishes toparticipate in said omnichannel cloudlet to execute said application toenter said omnichannel cloudlet with said at least one other remotedevice, said omnichannel cloudlet does not already exist, and whereinsaid instructions enabling said remote device that wishes to participatein said omnichannel cloudlet to execute said application to enter saidomnichannel cloudlet with said at least one other remote device compriseinstructions for forming said cloudlet.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein, in said step of obtaining said topology and operating stateinformation, said operating state information comprises centralprocessing unit usage data and type of network connectivity.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said omnichannel mediator further comprises amessaging broker wherein: said authenticating of said remote device iscarried out by said omnichannel group registry executing on at least onehardware processor; said sending of said instructions enabling saidremote device that wishes to participate in said omnichannel cloudlet toexecute said application to enter said omnichannel cloudlet with atleast one other remote device is carried out by said messaging brokerexecuting on said at least one hardware processor; said obtaining ofsaid topology and operating state information is carried out by saidmessaging broker executing on said at least one hardware processor; saidpreparing of said communication link instructions is carried out by saidomnichannel mediator using said application configuration policiesexecuting on said at least one hardware processor; and said sending ofsaid communication link instructions is carried out by said messagingbroker executing on said at least one hardware processor.